A PASSENGER vessel from Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, carrying more than 200 passengers, was stranded for 12 hours after it conked out off the town of Dalaguete, Cebu at 1:45 a.m. yesterday.
Officials of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) are asking the captain of MV Georich to submit a marine protest before an investigation is conducted.
Commander Jerome Cayabyab, of the PCG Cebu Station, said the vessel, owned by George and Peter Lines Inc., left from Dapitan at 7 p.m. last Wednesday.
The vessel was expected to arrive in Cebu at 6 a.m. yesterday when it encountered engine trouble at 5.5 nautical miles, or nine kilometers, off the coast of Dalaguete town.
The vessel’s captain and crew sent a distress signal to the PCG Cebu Station. Cayabyab said they immediately alerted their nearest substation in the City of Naga to assist the vessel.
The vessel was rescued by a tugboat deployed by the PCG City of Naga substation and arrived in Cebu City at 5 p.m. yesterday. (JKV)